1. Ohio State (6-0, 3-0) – The Buckeyes let Indiana hang around for a bit this week but in the end overwhelmed the Hoosiers thanks to 455 yards passing and six touchdown passes from QB Dwayne Haskins. It seems smooth sailing from here for the Buckeyes. Unless Michigan State suddenly starts to block people, OSU might not get challenged again until the season finale at home against Michigan. Last week: 1. Jay LaPrete, AP

2. Penn State (4-1, 1-1) – The Nittany Lions had the week off to try and regroup after last week’s tough loss to Ohio State. They’ll get Michigan State at home next week, a game that is starting to look like an easy one with the way the Spartans are playing. They’ll try to keep the heat on OSU in the East, but games against Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin remain. Last week: 2. Chris Knight, AP

3. Wisconsin (4-1, 2-0) – The Badgers came off their bye week by handing Nebraska yet another loss. It was nothing spectacular, which is par for the course for Wisconsin. Things get ramped up next week as the Badgers head to Michigan for the game of the week in the Big Ten, a matchup that could provide a clear path to a division title or create some suspense in the West. Last week: 3. Morry Gash, AP

4. Michigan (5-1, 3-0) – The Wolverines brushed aside any talk of upsets by physically controlling Maryland at home as QB Shea Patterson threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns. The Wolverines host Wisconsin next week, which offers them a chance to prove they’re the real deal as they begin the toughest stretch of the season with Michigan State and Penn State up next. Last week: 4. David Guralnick, Detroit News

5. Iowa (4-1, 1-1) – Two turnovers didn’t bother QB Nate Stanley, who threw for four touchdowns in a victory over Minnesota as the Hawkeyes created four turnovers of their own. It was a quality bounce-back after the loss two weeks ago to Wisconsin as the Hawkeyes hope to keep the heat on the Badgers in the race for the West. Last week: 5. Stacy Bengs, AP

6. Northwestern (2-3, 2-1) – In a classic case of the record not revealing a team’s true character, the Wildcats won for the third straight time on the road against Michigan State this week, proving last week’s loss to Michigan, when it blew a 17-0 lead, wouldn’t linger. The key for the Wildcats is building off the win and remaining in the hunt in the Big Ten West. Last week: 11. Dale G. Young, Detroit News

7. Michigan State (3-2, 1-1) – The Spartans simply can’t beat Northwestern at home, and much of the reason this time is because their offensive line continues to be overmatched. Quick fixes likely aren’t coming as the injuries have piled up for a team that expected to compete for a title but now finds itself on the brink with Penn State and Michigan up next. Last week: 6. Dale G. Young, Detroit News

8. Purdue (2-3, 1-1) – The Boilermakers had the week off after beating Nebraska last week for their second straight win. They’ll have a good chance to make it three in a row next week with a trip to Illinois before a visit from Ohio State offers a chance for a monumental upset. Last week: 9. Nati Harnik, AP

9. Indiana (4-2, 1-2) – The Hoosiers were game as they headed into the Horseshoe to take on Ohio State. But in the end, they simply didn’t have the firepower to hang with one of the best teams in the nation. The tough road for the pesky Hoosiers continues next week against Iowa followed by Penn State. The silver lining is both games are at home. Last week: 8. Jay LaPrete, AP

10. Maryland (3-2, 1-1) – The Terrapins entered this week’s game with Michigan with some expecting them to put a scare into the home team. However, the Terps were never truly in the game, managing just 220 total yards. There’s a good chance they rebound quickly, though, as Rutgers comes to town. Last week: 7. David Guralnick, Detroit News

11. Illinois (3-2, 1-1) – The Fighting Illini ended a two-game skid by virtue of Rutgers being the next team up on the schedule. It provided a glimmer of hope as the Illini fight to become bowl-eligible under Lovie Smith. Three more wins and they’ll be there, though there aren’t any real sure things left on the schedule. Last week: 12. David Boe, AP

12. Minnesota (3-2, 0-2) – The perfect non-conference run is long gone for the Golden Gophers, who are showing they’re not able to stop anyone in Big Ten play. The Gophers threw four interceptions and gave up five sacks in a loss to Iowa and won’t get a break next week as they head to Ohio State, the top scoring offense in the conference. Last week: 10. Stacy Bengs, AP

13. Nebraska (0-5, 0-3) – The Cornhuskers still are looking for that first victory under coach Scott Frost after losing at Wisconsin. Getting a win in Madison wasn’t terribly likely for the rebuilding Huskers, but it won’t get much easier next week at surging Northwestern. Minnesota is next but Bethune-Cookman is waiting in a few weeks, so all hope is not lost. Last week: 13. Morry Gash, AP

14. Rutgers (1-5, 0-3) – Somehow, the Scarlet Knights won a game this season. Of course, that came against Texas State back in the opener. Since then, Rutgers has been getting beaten badly on a weekly basis, save for a seven-point loss to Indiana. Where a Big Ten win comes this season is hard to see, something that has coach Chris Ash on the hot seat. Last week: 14. David Boe, AP

Normally when we’re writing about Illinois football these days, it’s to poke fun at the Fighting Illini.

For a program that’s been lost in the dark for the better part of the last decade, it’s been fairly simple to do. It was so from the second Tim Beckman took over in 2012 and tried to recruit Penn State players in the wake of NCAA sanctions, it continued to be throughout his woeful tenure and it has been since Lovie Smith — apparently out of NFL chances — took over in 2016.

But enough of that. This time, we’re talking about the 3-2 Fighting Illini. Yes, that’s right. Through five games, Illinois has surpassed its win total from all of last season. One more, and it will be the most in a year for Smith. And not to get ahead of ourselves, but if the Illini somehow win three more, they’re in a bowl game.

“It's important because they need to know how to win,” graduate transfer quarterback AJ Bush said. "They need to know what it takes to win and how it feels to win, so when we win, then we can build that culture, build that experience with them and that just takes over and that's how you change the program.”

Whether Bush knows how you change a program is debatable, but he’s at least well-traveled considering he’s been at Nebraska and Virginia Tech with a junior college stop in between. And on Saturday in a 38-17 win at Rutgers, Bush was the catalyst, running for 116 yards and two touchdowns while throwing for another score.

In the process, the Illini snapped a 13-game Big Ten skid, dating to 2016 when it beat Michigan State.

“It's huge for the program,” senior guard Nick Allegretti said. "Really excited for everyone in that locker room to experience that first one and it won't be the last.”

This might be the best spot to pump the brakes just a bit on our Illinois victory train. See, the win did come against Rutgers, which is apparently serving as the get-well card for anything that ails teams. The Scarlet Knights, after all, are offering virtually no resistance, getting rolled on a weekly basis.

But to point that out would go against the theme today, which is there is actual hope in Champaign.

The Illini looked like a Big Ten team — well, kind of. They ran for 330 yards but threw for only 89. But again, we’re staying positive. We’re choosing to replay Mike Epstein shushing the crowd after a 41-yard touchdown run.

An Illinois player shushing the home crowd? Come on, that’s hilarious.

But it was good to, at least, see signs of life in the program. They’ll have another decent shot next week when they host Purdue, though a trip to Wisconsin after that is daunting.

But there’s some potential wins still out there on the schedule. And if Saturday’s win means anything, it’s that the players in that locker room believe they can compete.

“We came into (Saturday's) game thinking this was a game we absolutely could win," Allegretti told the Champaign News-Gazette. “I think that's how we're going to feel the rest of the season. We look at our Big Ten schedule, and the gap's close. From the top team to the bottom team, the Big Ten's a very close conference right now. Every game that we walk into, we're going to have an opportunity to play our best and win that football game.”

If that’s not hope, I don’t know what is.

No problem for Ohio State

Sure, Indiana is no pushover these days, but Ohio State is so far ahead of the rest of the conference right now and it’s not really close outside of Penn State, which OSU rallied to beat on the road last week. The Buckeyes responded Saturday by hitting the gas and cruising to a 49-26 victory, thanks to six touchdown passes from Dwayne Haskins.

Oh, and he threw for 455 yards, so throw that in, too.

“I'm not going to lie, we were probably still tired from last week,” Haskins said. “Definitely there was a little lower energy in practice during the week, but the best thing about today is we found a way to win. Even though it wasn't pretty at times during the game, football is about overcoming adversity.”

Not leading by enough is what counts as adversity for the Buckeyes. But the real question at this point is — can anyone left on the schedule beat them?

Probably not. Michigan State doesn’t block anyone, so that trip to East Lansing looks far less daunting than it did before the start of the season. That leaves the finale against Michigan as the last test. But that one’s in Columbus. So, unless there’s a dramatic shift, Buckeyes fans should start making travel plans for Indy.

'Puke it out'

Nebraska remains winless through five games after losing at Wisconsin on Saturday, and that might be making Cornhuskers fans sick.

While some believed first-year coach Scott Frost had a massive rebuild on his hands, no one expected the Huskers to be without a victory at this point. But give Frost credit for keeping it positive — kind of.

“I told the team that sometimes when you’re sick, you have to puke it out, and I really think last week was a turning point for us, believe it or not,” Frost said. “I saw a team come together. I saw a team practice the best it’s practiced all year. I saw a team start loving each other and holding each other accountable and team that came out and fought.”

That’s no small step for a team that hasn’t looked like everyone has been buying in. So, maybe he’s right. Maybe things are changing. Maybe the Huskers got it all out of their system.

If not, then at least they’ve got Bethune-Cookman on the schedule in three weeks.